sorry for the hiatus

I've been back in Seoul for about two weeks now, it's been a very busy time. I promise I'll put something online in a few days. I've managed to go to buddhist protests, the national shrine, have my feet eaten by fish, and a few other interesting tidbits.

soon, I promise!

Buddhists know how to protest

(this is a post that I actually put together a week ago, showing just how late I have been).

I'm back in Seoul, just arrived three days ago. For now I am staying with a friend in Mok-Deung, which is about twenty minutes from the center of Seoul. I've spent my time here so far settling in at my university and looking for a homestay, preparing for a year in a foreign country takes a lot more paperwork than you might think.

I managed to attend a big protest at the Seoul City Hall Plaza yesterday, having missed out on the American beef protests I felt like I owed it to myself to see some kind of demonstration. Korean Buddhists are upset after a number of incidents involving the current administration that indicate a bias against their religion. I've read about the perceived bias and I think it sounds pretty concocted, but it made for a bang-up protest.

I emerged from the subway entrance by the protest and was suddenly in a sea of monks and elderly Koreans.

The New York Times also covered the protest, they have a great picture of the actual monks who were praying at the center of the crowd. here

trip back to America

I just arrived back in the U.S. last night, after a comfortable plane ride and one last day of rain in Seoul. I should be returning on the 26th of August, but until then I will be savoring all of the American food and sunshine that has eluded me in South Korea.

A friend has already requested that I bring back extra sharp cheddar, coffee, peanut butter, and a carton of Lucky Strikes, I'll probably add cereal and bricks of dark chocolate to that list. I feel like I'm smuggling contraband into prison.

I can't wait to go back though, I had a great time this summer and can't wait to start a more naturalized Korean lifestyle.

Friends in Korea

I have started meeting with some Koreans who want to practice their English, in return for teaching them more about grammar and such they also coach me in my Korean. Message boards on university websites and physical bulletin boards are covered with requests from students and locals to meet with foreign students and practice English. While every Korean student studies the language starting at age 8, conversation practice is not emphasized, so there is always high demand for someone who knows colloquial English.

I also met with a friend of mine who I met while she was an exchange student at George Washington University. So Yoon was actually my Korean tutor, she has helped me settling into the city and finding my way around, (I would have had a very hard time buying a cell phone without her). Here I am with So Yoon and her boyfriend in COEX, a massive underground mall in southeastern Seoul.

So Yoon, Goofy Looking American, Han Yeong

If you look carefully, you can see that So Yoon and her boyfriend are wearing matching shirts, this is a trend that is extremely popular in Korea. Some couples are more subtle about matching, some go all out and wear shirts saying (in English) "This is my Romeo -->" and "<-- this is my Juliet." Funny stuff

MSL 2008 Finals

I have been trying to experience as much of Korea as I can in the few weeks left before I leave, trying to see everything at least once before I go back to Connecticut. In pursuit of a well-rounded impression of Korea, I've sung at Norebang, (ubiquitous Karaoke bars), been to Korean movie theaters, (without subtitles), eaten more than my share of Kimchi, and traveled to the 2008 MSL Starcraft Finals.

Starcraft is a computer game often played in internet cafes here. While the game is popular in America, here it rivals soccer and baseball for popularity among young men. Three television channels are devoted to showing the strategies of experienced players and many of them go on to make a living with sponsorship deals and a number of international tournaments.


I happen to be in Seoul during the tail end of a computer game tournament, the finals of which were held just an hour away from my dormitory. What I expected was a few hundred intense-looking men staring calmly at projection screens, what I got was a rock concert with keyboards rather than instruments.

The two players competing in the finals.

In stark contrast to the rabid fans and high-tech lightshow of the tournament, I also went to a jazz concert later that night. Juilliard has a group of its "All-Stars" in Seoul, who happened to be performing on my campus. I know it is strange to go halfway around the world to see Juilliard when I've never seen them in America, but it was a fantastic experience as well. A Korean jazz singer, named Lee Eun Mi, did a guest appearance, belting out "Summertime" in a voice that would have made Janis Joplin proud.

NY Times article on dining in Seoul

The Times just released an article that does a good job of describing many of the better foods in Seoul. Some of the restaurants mentioned I could never afford and the author's tone is a little fawning, (there is also a great deal of unappetizing street food and bland dishes to be had), but it's the best coverage I've seen so far.


here's the link

Run up Ansancheon

My university is right next to one of mountains that rise up throughout Seoul, called Ansancheon. Whenever I want to go for a run I tend to go up the mountain rather than on the streets that border campus, the view is better and the exhaust fumes can be overwhelming.

Ansancheon itself is beautiful, dotted with little parks and badminton courts where older Koreans, (ajushis and ajummas) picnic and talk with one another.

The whole run takes a little under an hour, and finishes up with a massive flight of stairs (about 250, yes I counted). The whole thing feels like the ascent to a Shaolin temple.

Many older Korean men and women use the mountain for their daily hike, calmly striding beside me as I sweat and strain up the inclines. There aren't many gyms in the city, but going for an afternoon or morning walk, even during the middle of the summer, seems popular.

The summit/outlook has a stone signal fire tower, from it you can see most of the Seoul city center.
All along the base of another of Seoul's mountains you can see the style of apartment buildings that houses Seoul's immense population.
These apartment complexes are typically constructed by the big Korean conglomerates, Samsung, LG, Sungwon, and you would not believe how uniform and how common they are. Most of the buildings, despite some changes in the outside paint job, look identical, the only way you can tell them apart is by their number. There is one other interesting sight on the top of Ansancheon, what looks like an old military radio tower. Sandbag trenches encircle the top of the mountain, and the antenna looks like it dates back a few decades.

(note: I added another picture to my gallery of Korean anatomy appliances.)